India U19 crush Sri Lanka U19, set up massive target ahead of Day 3

Day 2 of the Youth Test between India Under‑19s and Sri Lanka Under‑19s turned into a one‑sided affair, with the hosts clearly in command. After starting the day at 253‑3, the Indian line‑up piled on another 158 runs, thanks to a spectacular 150 from Manal Chauhan and a solid 111 from Kushagra Ojha.

Chauhan, who had been hanging around the half‑century mark overnight, struck a beautiful drive for four and soon found himself cruising to a landmark 150. He and Ojha stitched together a 155‑run partnership for the fourth wicket, turning a decent platform into a towering total of 411. Even when wickets began to tumble in the last overs, Chauhan held the innings together with a few handy lower‑order stands before finally falling as the ninth wicket.

Earlier in the innings, the third‑wicket stand between captain Yashobardhan Chauhan and Ojha had already put India in a comfortable position, adding 122 runs. Those early collaborations gave the team the depth to recover from a few early hiccups and set the tone for the rest of the day.

When Sri Lanka began their reply, the Indian bowlers were in full flight. Pranav Raghavendra and C. Venkata each claimed two wickets, while Rohit Yadav delivered a blistering spell of 2 for 4, rattling the visiting lower order. The Sri Lankan batsmen never really got going; Dulnith Sigera’s 31 was the lone headline, and the visitors slumped to 122 for 8 at stumps, still 289 runs behind.

With such a mammoth first‑innings lead, India entered the final day as overwhelming favourites. The scoreboard reads a target of 317 runs for Sri Lanka to clinch victory, a requirement that looks steep given the tight bowling they faced just yesterday.

Looking ahead, the Indian camp will be hoping to press their advantage, while the Sri Lankan side knows they need a monumental effort to stay in the contest. All eyes will now be on Day 3, where the battle will shift from building a lead to chasing it.